I’m soooper-busy with teaching and looking for work and trying to live, which is far more effortful than it should be, so it’s easy for me to say “I don’t have time for activism.” But currently, some chances for activism going on in my neighborhood this weekend relative to two causes that deeply concern me, that make “trying to live” way more effortful than it should be, and that I’d like to bring to your attention.

The first is SlutWalk NYC. We’ve discussed them here before (and do re-read that link; this protest is not without its issues), and maybe you’ve already gotten involved in one in your area. But if you’re ’round these-here parts, Saturday is the day. Meet at Union Square at 11am to make signs, or at 12 noon to start the march. Are you going? Do you wanna meet me there?

Occupy Wall Street you may not have heard much about. That’s not an accident or fault of yours; the coverage in the mainstream media has been abysmal here in the US–and not by accident, I believe. The several hundred young people who have been living in Downtown Manhattan for going on two weeks now (!) have mostly been criticized, downplayed, or mocked (most notably by the Times) or simply ignored by national/network news–even NPR–who, when buttonholed by listeners, offered a weak-sauce excuse (and now are starting to cover it). I don’t know about cable coverage, since I am cable-less. I know the rockin’ Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! has been on top of it, but is Maddow covering this? Colbert? Stewart? Olberman? …Bueller?

Anyway, rather than recap the whole thing, go here and read up, or use your google-fu. If you’re in the NYC area, you’ve got a couple options. Friday night at 5:30, there is a protest outside NYPD headquarters to draw attention to the nasty, disproportionate response the cops have taken against the protesters, including kettling marchers, pepper spraying a group of women peaceably assembled behind a barrier, and deploying unnecessary physical force when cuffing and detaining people they decide are “resisting arrest.” Then, on Saturday, after you’ve SlutWalked, you can head downtown and demonstrate with the 99% at Liberty Plaza/Zuccotti Park from 3-8pm.

If you’re not in this area, you’re sorta off the hook. But only sorta. But you can get involved in your own area. Dozens of cities in the US–and I know we have readers in many of these areas–are having their own satellite protests. You can look up information on them here. Or you can send money or supplies to the protestors. Or you can talk up the marches in your community, and explain to those who scoff at those damn dirty hippies that these young people actually have legitimate grievances, and are providing a rallying point for others. Just yesterday, two large unions–the IWW and Transport Workers Union–officially threw their support behind the protestors. I actually believe that this thing has legs, and I am as skeptical a mofo as you are likely to meet.

And lastly, after you get informed and inspired, here’s an inspirational, if slightly ironic tune:

9 Responses to “I’ll Meet You In The Street”

As far as cable coverage – nada. They’re more interested in the latest Hollywood gossip. However – for DCish folks, there’s an OccupyDC on Saturday in McPherson Square.

This makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy that we are still free enough to protest, to get angry and do something about it, and sad that there’s no national response, a negative police reaction (which i wasn’t aware of but am not at all surprised by) and sad that we have to keep fighting Big Money.

Hippie punching can be healthy if hippies say really dumb shit, but I don’t understand why some liberals are pissing so heartily all over the OccupyWallSt thing. I disagree that the protests are going to do anything because they’re amorphous and lack specific goals and they’re targeting unaccountable non-policymakers (although holding them close to financial centers has symbolic value). I mean hell, the Wisconsin thing and the Arab Spring had specific policy goals – “Ending Corporate Greed” is not one, “Raise the Inflation Target” is. So yeah, there’s room for improvement, but why get angry at them and call them stupid and worthless, etc.? Unless they become especially clownish, they’re not hurting anything.

I hope you’re wrong, BDCB. Things seem to be picking up, not winding down. The pilot’s union was out yesterday, and this coming week, other groups are joining.

I am a bit frustrated by the slightly saggy “yeah, down with THE MAN, man!” nature of the protest, but that’s in no small part because I’m kind of Type-A. But the massive discontent doesn’t need to be tied to a single issue–and is more likely to gain attention and followers if it isn’t, right off the bat. I think the group is realizing they need to be a skosh more articulate, but that will come in time. Right now, they’re gaining attention and traction, which can be WAAAAY harder than honing your message.

If it were 20 TP loonies with signs on Wall St, we’d be seeing headlines and hearing stories from every major media outlet. It was young people like this whose protesting ultimately got us out of Vietnam. If young people can get the middle class energized to protest the gross economic injustices that are taken for granted in this country, I for one would be grateful.

The Slutwalk controversy has been enormously educational for me. From my privileged upper middle class educated white woman position, the racial implications of this strategy simply never occurred to me before. Still, being a white woman does not mean that you can never be victimized by men and male-dominated culture. It makes me feel sad and frustrated when women attack each other over matters like this. We all suffer harm, and we all suffer when other women suffer harm.

I want to meander down to the one in DC just so I’m not some dickbag spouting off about something he hasn’t seen firsthand. But ultimately this is going to come down to, as the adage goes, how it’s going to play in Peoria. In 2010, the Tea Party effectively booted out a bunch of Blue Dogs and anomalies such as Russ Feingold. Will these districts vote for candidates who want to raise taxes, deficit spend, and perhaps go further by propping up national champions and hiking up tariffs? Hope so, but I’m not optimistic.

But I don’t really have a better idea. God I wish we had a parliament; this bicameral/presidential bullshit is so fucking antique and clunky. Civilized countries elect MPs and just try stuff.